Our verdict
1Password for the smoothest rollout; Bitwarden for value and openness. Either is a big security upgrade over no password manager.
1Password and Bitwarden are the two password managers we recommend most often for businesses. Both are secure, audited and cross-platform; the trade-off is polish versus price and openness.
Choose 1Password Business if…
- Adoption and user experience are top priorities
- You want rich admin reporting
- You prefer a premium, fully managed service
Choose Bitwarden if…
- You want the best value per user
- You prefer open source
- You may want to self-host
Side by side
| Criterion | 1Password Business | Bitwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 9.1 / 10 | 8.9 / 10 |
| Features & fit | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Ease of use | 9.5 | 8.4 |
| Value for money | 8.2 | 9.6 |
| Support & reliability | 8.6 | 8.0 |
| Security & privacy | 9.6 | 9.4 |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 8.6 | 8.2 |
| Starting price (indicative) | Teams plans from around $20 / month for up to 10 users; Business around $8 / user / month | Free personal plan; Teams from around $4 / user / month |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Teams prioritising adoption | Budget-conscious teams |
Feature by feature
| Feature | 1Password Business | Bitwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes |
| Admin experience | Very polished | Functional, improving |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
| Independent audits | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Teams wanting the smoothest experience | Budget-conscious or self-hosting teams |
Pricing compared
1Password Business
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Teams Starter Pack | ≈ $20 / mo | Up to 10 users · Up to 10 users |
| Business | ≈ $8 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | — |
Bitwarden
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 2 users · Free organisation for two users |
| Teams | ≈ $4 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Enterprise | ≈ $6 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Team size | 1Password Business | Bitwarden |
|---|---|---|
| 5 seats | $20 (Teams Starter Pack) | $20 (Teams) |
| 10 seats | $20 (Teams Starter Pack) | $40 (Teams) |
| 25 seats | $200 (Business) | $100 (Teams) |
Indicative USD list prices; excludes tax, add-ons and promotions. Confirm on each vendor’s site.
Usability
1Password's apps are more polished, which helps adoption with non-technical staff. Bitwarden is functional and improving.
Price
Bitwarden is considerably cheaper per user, especially at the Teams tier.
Deployment
Bitwarden can be self-hosted; 1Password is cloud only.
Price for a small team
Bitwarden's Teams plan costs about half of 1Password Business per user, and its free two-user organisation suits very small businesses. 1Password's Teams Starter Pack offers a flat price for up to 10 users, which narrows the gap for small teams.
Self-hosting and transparency
Bitwarden's open-source code and self-hosting option appeal to technical teams and organisations with data-residency requirements. 1Password is cloud-only but adds a Secret Key to its security model, protecting vault data even if the service itself were compromised.
Pros & cons
1Password Business
- Outstanding usability
- Strong security design (Secret Key)
- Rich admin reporting
- Pricier than Bitwarden
- No self-hosting
Bitwarden
- Excellent value
- Open source and audited
- Self-hosting option
- Interface less refined
- Some admin features on Enterprise
Key features of each
1Password Business
- Shared vaults. Granular sharing per team or project.
- Watchtower. Alerts for weak, reused or breached passwords.
- SSO unlock. Unlock with your identity provider on Business.
- Travel mode. Remove vaults from devices when travelling.
Integrates with: Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, Slack, Duo.
Bitwarden
- Collections. Share items with groups.
- Policies. Enforce MFA and password rules.
- Send. Securely share text and files.
- Self-hosting. Run on your own infrastructure.
Integrates with: Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, OneLogin.
Who should avoid each
Skip 1Password Business if…
- Tight budgets
- Organisations needing self-hosting
Best for: Teams prioritising adoption; Businesses with Okta/Entra identity; Mixed device fleets.
Skip Bitwarden if…
- Users wanting the most polished interface
Best for: Budget-conscious teams; Open-source preference; Self-hosted deployments.
Switching between 1Password Business and Bitwarden
Migration difficulty: Easy
Both import from each other and from browsers via export files; shared vault structure and permissions need to be recreated.
- Export vaults from the old manager (securely, offline).
- Import into the new manager and check entries.
- Recreate shared vaults/collections and permissions.
- Delete export files securely.
- Remove the old app and browser extensions from devices.
Weigh it your way
Adjust the weights to your priorities to see which tool comes out ahead for you. Print or export the result for your team.
| Tool | Features | Ease | Value | Support | Security | Integrations | Your score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 1Password Business | 9.0 | 9.5 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 9.6 | 8.6 | 9.07 |
| 2. Bitwarden | 8.8 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 8.2 | 8.93 |
Drag the sliders to match your priorities. Scores are our editorial sub-scores; weights start at the values we publish on the methodology page. Nothing you change is stored or sent anywhere.
How our scores and weights work · Add a third tool side by side
Frequently asked questions
Which is more secure?
Both use strong end-to-end encryption and publish audits. Configuration and user habits matter more than the choice between them.
Can I import from one to the other?
Yes, both support imports from common formats.
Does 1Password Business or Bitwarden have a free plan?
1Password Business has a free trial but no permanent free plan; Bitwarden has a free plan. Indicative starting prices: 1Password Business — Teams plans from around $20 / month for up to 10 users; Business around $8 / user / month; Bitwarden — Free personal plan; Teams from around $4 / user / month.
Which is cheaper for a team of 10, 1Password Business or Bitwarden?
On indicative list prices, the cheapest paid plan that fits 10 users costs about $20 per month on 1Password Business (Teams Starter Pack) and about $40 on Bitwarden (Teams), so 1Password Business is cheaper at that size. Taxes, add-ons and discounts are excluded — and the plan you actually need may be higher.
Which scores higher in our review, 1Password Business or Bitwarden?
1Password Business scores 9.1/10 and Bitwarden 8.9/10 on our weighted rubric. 1Password Business leads on 5 of six criteria. A higher score does not make it right for every buyer — see the “choose if” lists above.
